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I read six books this month, making it a point to try to check off some of my “21 in ’21” TBR books. Honestly, I exceeded my own expectations by reading two off that list. I still have a long year ahead of me as far as reading goals go, but I made good headway in January.

Circe by Madeline Miller // This is one of two books from my “21 in ’21” reading list that I created at the beginning of the year in the back of my Passion Planner, and I am. SO. GLAD. I finally gave it a read. I’ve heard such good things about it for so long, and rightly so. It’s a beautifully written book, and such a fun take on Greek mythology. There are certain parts of the book that made me say I don’t want to be Circe, but I would definitely like to embody some of her traits in my personal life.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green // Two things: First, I think this was my favorite book of January. Second, I think…I might like Hank’s book better than John’s books. I know it’s not a competition, and to be honest, it’s been years since I read one of John Green’s novels (the last was Turtles All the Way Down right after it came out), but I just can’t stop thinking about An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. I want to recommend it to everyone, and I immediately borrowed the sequel from the library when I finished it. It’s such an excellent exploration of social media life and humankind, and yes, I did get a little watery in the eyeballs as I read.

My Calamity Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows // The second from my “21 in ’21” and my first Lady Janies novel, and I’m glad it was this one. To be honest, the other two in the series haven’t much interested me (especially given that I’ve never even read Jane Eyre), but every once in a while I’m in the mood for a Western, and this was just the one I needed. I did not realize going into it that werewolves were a part of the story, so I was a little skeptical at first, but I’m happy to report that I stuck it out and had a rollicking good time with this one.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery // An absolutely beautiful classic. I love Anne with an E, my first interaction with Anne Shirley, and of course I had to get to the book eventually. I’m now on the hunt for a copy of the next book in the series that matches the edition of Anne of Green Gables that I bought because I must keep indulging in her world.

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold // I already wrote a separate post reviewing this book but, spoiler alert, it was excellent.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien // Okay, technically I read this one in November, December, and January, but I finished it in January, so it’s a part of the wrap up. I didn’t feel myself loving this one as much as I did The Fellowship of the Ring, and I think part of it was the way it was essentially two books in one–following Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas separately from Frodo and Sam. Which of course makes sense, but I think I might have had an easier time getting through it if the teams had had alternating chapters rather than a “book one” and “book two” set up within the novel. But, I mean…there were Ents, so I really can’t complain.